In a major technological initiative, the State IT Department is all set to introduce an AI-based quality assaying model to check the quality of crops brought to procurement centres across the State. To be deployed initially as a pilot project in three procurement centres before it is implemented across the State, the model will ensure that farmers are not at the mercy of Selection Officers at procurement centres in finalising the grade and quality of grains.

The IT Department will deploy the innovative model at Narayanpet, Kamareddy and one more centre in a few weeks. The AI-based quality assaying model will be used to determine the grade, quality, moisture and other parameters in paddy, red gram and Bengal gram. And, the report will be delivered in just a minute. Subsequently, in future, the model may be extended to other crops including fruits and vegetables.

The TSTS-ITE&C department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hyderabad-based Nebulaa Innovations Private Limited. The solution will be very helpful to farmers and civil supplies and agriculture departments at the procurement centres.

“Farmers will no longer have to depend on selection officers’ judgment in terms of quality, grading and grain size and demand for better pricing. Besides, procurement process will also be much faster,” a senior official from the ITE&C department told Telangana Today.

Under the existing process, the selection officers take a handful of grains and rub them in their hands to decide the moisture content in grains, their colour and size. Conventional methods of quality testing lead to disputes as it is done manually, the official said, adding that the AI-based quality assaying model would be faster and objective in classifying grade and other parameters.

Under this model, a few grain samples will be placed in a tray of the AI based machine, which captures 360 degrees images of the grains. Based on the algorithm in the system, it identifies the type of grains (paddy, Red gram or Bengal Gram), colour, moisture content, size, immature, shrunk or shriveled grains, presence of foreign matter (organic or inorganic), the official explained.

When a farmer gets his stocks to the procurement centre, a lot number is issued to his stocks. Officials can take four to five samples from the stocks and assign unique numbers to each sample from the lot to avoid any duplication.

From the farmers’ perspective, this report can also help in altering farming practices. The report gives detailed analysis of chemical content in the samples and based on this, the farmer can change the use of fertilisers or the crop pattern as well to get better yields, the official said.

Officials have already presented a demonstration to Markfed authorities in the city recently and theie response was encouraging. Such AI based system is presently being used to some extent in Haryana and Rajasthan, the official said.